Hell Hath No Fury
by redbullcatwoman
Summary: Hunted. She was used to being the hunter. But everything was backwards in this shit world now. Being alone is the only way to survive, letting others in just makes you weak. Or so she thought. This is an alter of my other story, Feral, where Daryl and Amanda have never met. Daryl/OC. M for language, sexual situations and violence. Enjoy and please review!
1. chapter 1

**Authors note: hi! This idea has been bouncing around in my head for awhile to write a fic of my version of TWD, Feral, if Daryl and Amanda had never met. I haven't stopped writing Feral so don't worry! Please let me know what you think! Every review is appreciated and helps more than you know!**

Sweat dripped into my eyes as I desperately clung to the branch I was perched on.

White hot pain seared through the gunshot wound in my side as I repositioned for a better grip and I bit down into my lip, so hard that the metallic taste of my own blood filled my mouth.

"Come on sweetheart, we ain't gonna hurtchya." The large man said sweetly below me, his sharp eyes scanning the foliage in front of him. I shuddered and leaned farther into the tree bark, praying he wouldn't look up and discover me hiding from them in the branches.

The tall, lanky one walked ten feet behind him, pistol in hand as they searched for me. I watched silently as they passed my tree, breathing shallowly to avoid making any noise.

"You sure you got her?" The lanky one asked his comrade, who nodded.

"Oh she's hurt alright. If we don't find her, she ain't makin' it through the night anyways." He said, a sadistic smile twisting across his face.

My limbs ached painfully as I hid there, for how long I couldn't be sure. Their heavy footsteps had grown muted as they walked farther and farther away until only the cicadas made any noise around me. Still I stayed, paralyzed with the fear that I would be found.

Only when I heard a sharp whistle far in the distance did I scurry down the tree trunk, landing clumsily on my feet. I gasped in pain as the impact jostled my wound and clasped my hand to my side, leaning my forehead against the rough bark of the tree. Drawing deep breaths through my teeth, I tried to focus. I had to find shelter, food, and water.

"Come on. Come on!" I urged myself, punching the tree in frustration. I let out a groan as the bark cut open my knuckles, fresh blood staining it dark. "Great." I muttered, inspecting the torn skin. I'd had worse. I shrugged it off, pushing deeper into the trees, away from the men hunting me.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Night had fallen as I collapsed against another tree. My side throbbed under the blood and sweat soaked shirt I wore. Even after the sun had gone down, the humid Georgian air threatened to suffocate me.

Peeling back the hem of my shirt I winced, looking at the festering wound in my abdomen. The skin around it was raw and angry, blood still leaking from the ragged hole in my skin and soaking my clothes. I looked around myself again for the hundredth time and slid down the tree trunk until my butt hit the hard earth.

My breathing now came in short, labored bursts and I knew I was nearing serious dehydration. If I didn't find shelter soon I'd be dead, or worse, found.

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself up, letting out a pained groan as my entire body protested.

I staggered to the side and braced myself against the tree before pushing onward into the dark forest. Every step sending a cacophony of pain through my tired body, causing tears to well in my eyes.

It must have been another hour of torturous hiking before I stepped into a clearing illuminated by moonlight. Infront of me was a ramshackle house, it's windows broken and siding falling off from months of neglect. There was a small shed to the side and I began trudging towards it when one of the undead lumbered out from behind it. I groaned and slid my large hunting knife out of the sheath strapped to my thigh.

"Come on ya fucker." I rasped, the words stinging my dry throat.

It stumbled toward me and I used what little strength I had left to throw myself at it, shoving my knife into the under side of it chin. The brittle bone of it's jaw shattered and my hand turned slick with rotten blood as it plunged into the open cavity of its face. We both fell to the ground and I gasped in pain. I rolled off of the twice dead man and lay there on my back, staring at the stars as I tried to force myself up. With a pained sob, I was able to push myself to my hands and knees and I crawled to the shed, collapsing onto the wooden floorboards. In the dark I couldn't see what it was but I pushed something heavy in front of the door, collapsing in a weak heap as the darkness overcame me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: I figure it's going to take some time before anyone reads this and it gains followers/reviews. But I really hope you like this. I'm not exactly following the original storyline from the show just yet and I have plans to change up quite a bit of it. But I hope you guys like this and please leave a review letting me know what you think!**

 _"Dad, c'mon, we gotta go!" I begged him, pulling on his arm before he angrily yanked it out of my grip. I looked at the bartender desperately. "Terry! Talk t'him! It's gettin' bad out there. Mom and Nolan are in the car." Terry looked at me sadly, he was one of dads oldest friends, and he had watched with the rest of us as my fathers alcoholism had taken him from us over the years._

 _"I'm sorry Amanda." He said, "you know he won't listen." I turned to the man I called my father and crossed my arms angrily._

 _"You need to get your fat ass in the car!" I said loudly, swallowing when his bloodshot eyes turned to me, full of bewilderment. He looked at Terry and the other few patrons of the bar._

 _"You hear the way this little bitch talks to me!" He yelled, a trace of laughter in his voice. He stood from the bar stool and towered over me. Faster than I had expected in his state, his open palm struck me across the face, hard._

 _"Hey!" One of the men at the other end of the bar yelled, standing up from his stool, his companion grabbed his arm and shook his head. Terry ran out from behind the bar and pushed me behind him as I cupped my face in my hand, facing my father._

 _"I think it's time you leave, Joe." He said, glaring at the drunken man infront of him. Dad looked around the nearly empty bar and snorted._

 _"Got better things to do anyway." He grunted, finishing what was left of his beer and heading for the door. Terry turned back to me, his shoulders slouching as he took in my swelling cheek with a shake of his head._

 _"It's alright Terry." I said quietly, "It's been worse."_

 _"That's not even remotely alright." He said. I smiled sadly at the man that had been like a second father to me for most of my life._

 _"We're heading to Atlanta." I told him, "they say it's safe there. Come with us." He looked around his bar for a moment then back to me, shaking his head._

 _"I can't leave her." He explained, motioning his hands around_ _the bar. He and his wife had owned it as long as I'd known them, until she died from cancer 6 years ago. Now he ran it by himself, throwing his life into it, usually staying late to avoid going back to his empty home._ _I nodded and kissed him on the cheek before walking towards the door._

 _"Stay safe Terry." I threw over my shoulder, pushing the door open. Outside, my head whipped left and right when I saw no sign of my father. My mother's tired eyes caught mine from the car and she shook her head. She rolled down the window as I approached._

 _"Where'd he go?" I asked her._

 _"He walked off." She said, tears shining in her eyes. "I tried to get him in the car but he jus' wouldn't." I ran my hand down my face in frustration._

 _"We gotta go Mom." I said, walking around the car and getting into the drivers seat. She shook her head, droplets of tears falling from her eyes and threw open her door. "Mom!"_

 _"I can't leave him!" She cried, getting out of the car. I looked back at Nolan in the back seat. His wide, innocent eyes stared at me fearfully as he pulled off his headphones._

 _"Stay in the car." I ordered. He nodded and I got out._

 _"Joe!" Mom was calling down the street, in the direction I assumed he had walked off in._

 _"He doesn't want to come with us Mom. We've got to go!" I told her as I walked around the car toward her. A man walked out from behind another car and I froze as he seized my mother and sank his teeth into her neck._

 _"No! No!" I howled, running toward them and tackling the man off of her as my mothers screams of pain filled my ears. The news had warned us of this. People becoming brainless cannibals, one bite turned you into one too. I'd only seen it once before, in a video on YouTube. I knew you had to destroy the brain to get them to stop. I took the gun out of the waistline of my jeans and bludgeoned his head with the butt of it, bringing it down again and again until he stopped moving._

 _"No, no, no, no." I groaned, reaching for my mother where she lay on the pavement, blood pooling around her. The sweet metallic smell burned my nostrils as I turned her over to look at me. She stared at me with large, pain filled eyes that looked so much like mine, deep blue with a light green center around the pupil. I watched her choke on her own blood as doors opened to both sides of me. I could hear Terry running towards us from the bar and Nolan getting out of the car. Pulling Mom into my chest, I sobbed, rocking back and forth as I held her to me. I could feel the life draining out of her when another scream made my head snap up. I sat in paralyzed shock as a woman bit into my little brothers face, pulling away the skin of his cheek with her teeth. His eyes were wide with terror and his mouth was open in a scream of pain I couldn't hear through the ringing in my ears. Terry ran forward and knocked the woman off of him. Nolan too, collapsed in a heap and Terry picked him up in his arms, sobs racking through his body as he looked down at my brothers face._

 _"Terry.." My voice cracked. "Terry!" I screamed, but it was too late. He hadn't killed the woman who had bitten Nolan and I watched her sink her teeth into his calf._

 _xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

You hear that?" A voice said from the other side of the wooden door, pulling me from sleep with a gasp. "There's someone cryin' in there."

"Bet you it's her, Mike." Said another voice. I recognized them both as the men I had been running from last night. "That lamebrain over there is fresh." I pushed myself into the corner of the shed and swiped at my tear covered face angrily. My side screamed in pain as I fought to stay quiet. My head felt like it had been dunked in a bucket of hot water. Every noise was fuzzy and muffled as I heard it. In the back of my mind I knew I was seriously dehydrated, and had probably lost more blood as I slept. I checked my gun, even though I knew it was empty and shoved it back into my waistband. Instead, I held my knife infront of me as the table I had pushed infront of the door last night was shoved aside by them, bullying their way in to the shed.

A boot stepped through in the strip of sunlight and I forced myself to stand, leaning heavily against the wall behind me. The larger one stepped through first, his brown eyes finding me. In a previous life I would have thought he was attractive, his chest was broad and his arms muscle bound, straining against the shirt he wore. When I had first seen him I thought he looked like one of the actors I had watched on a tv show long ago. Now, my stomach turned at the sight of him and I swallowed to keep down the bile rising in my throat.

"Hey sweetheart, we've been lookin' for you." He said with a smirk. I pushed my back farther against the wall and raised the knife in my hand toward him, my arm shaking with the weight of it. He chuckled and advanced on me, too quickly for my muddled brain to register. My knife clattered to the floor and he wrapped his hand around my throat, smiling darkly as my head hit the wall. Black spots appeared at the edge of my vision and I struggled to breath. My hands clawed at his uselessly.

Well, come on man, don't kill her." The tall one said as he too, entered the shed. I could feel myself losing consciousness before he loosened his grip and my knees buckled, hitting the floor hard. His hand tangled in my hair and I let out a cry as he pulled me to standing.

"Let's go." He ordered, pushing me infront of him and out the door. The sunlight blinded me and he shoved me forward into the clearing. I fell again and grit my teeth as his hand closed tightly around my arm, pulling me to my feet. "We're going back to camp." He said in my ear. I shivered in revulsion at his closeness and staggered as he pulled me with them.

The sun had traveled a quarter of the way across the sky as we made our way to where I assumed they had parked the truck. Many times I had fallen, only to be pulled back up roughly and forced to keep moving. I didn't know how much longer my body could keep going.

"You don't talk much, do ya?" Asked the larger one, who's name I had found out was Roy. I kept walking, not answering him until he wrenched my arm suddenly, pulling me to a stop to look at him. "I'm speaking to you." He said, stepping closer and grasping my chin to make me look up at him. I spat in his face, my spit foamy with my lack of hydration. He took a shocked step back and wiped it off before the same hand whipped out and lashed across my cheek. I fell again to the ground and he towered over me.

"Hey!" A voice called out angrily behind us. I stayed laying on the ground, too weak to move and watched as my captors rounded on whoever had called out to them.

"Can we help you fellas?" Roy said, feigning innocence. I could see his hand reaching for the pistol tucked into the back of his jeans. I forced myself to roll over and see who they were talking to. Mike and Roy were standing in front of me, and through their legs I could see two other men. One wore a T-shirt and jeans, his hair slicked back and a large silver revolver holstered on his hip, which his hand now rested on. The other wore torn black jeans, a sleeveless leather vest and held a crossbow infront of him. A Stryker, if I wasn't mistaken. Both of their eyes kept darting to me and back to Mike and Roy. I was sure I looked like a horrible bloody mess.

"Seems like she could use some help." The taller one with the revolver said, inclining his head towards me. Roy snorted and shook his head.

"Nah, she's my sister, we're takin' her back home." The one in the vest looked at me and I shook my head weakly, his eyes hardened and he raised the crossbow toward Roy.

"I think you're lyin'." He said in a rough Georgian accent.

"Don't really matter what you think." Roy said, beginning to pull his pistol out. I took a deep breath and gathered whatever energy I had left to throw myself at his legs, sending him off balance. I let out a cry as the gun fired and pain seared through my arm, I knew I'd just been shot, again. "You little bitch!" He yelled, raising his hand to hit me again. I squeezed my eyes shut against the oncoming pain and held my now injured arm to my body as grunts and yells emanated from the men. Soon, it went silent, and I recoiled as someone's hand brushed my shoulder.

"It's alright." Said the voice of the taller man. I cracked one of my eyes open to look at him, he was crouched next to me, arms resting on his knees. The other one stood behind him, his face unreadable as he watched us.

"Water." I croaked, wincing as my throat protested the words. The standing one quickly handed me a canteen and I gulped down what was in it. My hand fell to the earth, still holding it and I sighed. "Thank you." I said.

"Can you walk?" The tall one asked, taking the canteen. I weakly shook my head and closed my eyes again. I wouldn't make it much farther if I had to walk, of that I was sure.

"I got her." I heard the other one say and suddenly I was lifted up into the air by a pair of strong arms. I flailed for a moment at the sudden change, and closeness of another person and he stood still.

"I ain't gonna hurt ya." He assured me. I glared at him, noticing the bright blue shade of his eyes.

"Heard that before." I said angrily. He bit his lip and nodded before taking a few steps forward.

"Wait!" I cried, craning my neck back towards the men who now lay, unconscious, on the forest floor. "The skinny one had my knife."

The other man crouched down again, searching Mike's body until he found my hunting knife and handed it to me. I held it in my hand and they started walking. As much as I tried to fight it, the gentle rhythm of his steps pulled me back into unconsciousness, and I succumbed to it, no longer able to resist.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Daryl

"She's still breathing right?" Rick asked him as they drove back towards the prison. Daryl turned in the passenger seat and placed his hand under her nose. The gentle warmth of her breath fanned over his skin and he nodded at Rick. The man looked at her in the rear view mirror where she laid in the back seat, unconscious.

This was supposed to be a supply run, but they had stumbled upon the three people in the woods just in time to watch that one man slap the girl across her face.

Daryl looked back at her again now. She had long, dark brown hair that fell in waves around her head as she slept. When she was awake, he had noticed her eyes were a symphony of blues and green. They had wrapped her arm in a bandage before they noticed another gunshot wound in her side. Up and down her body, on the exposed skin they could see, she was covered in cuts and bruises. Her knuckles were split in what looked like a recent injury, her lip was split in what looked like her own bite mark, and there was a deep purple bruise forming on her throat that was in the shape of a human hand, her wrists were rubbed raw as if she had been bound. Even as she slept now, her grip was wrapped tightly around the large hunting knife she carried.

"Jesus man, what do you think happened to her?" Rick asked him, making him pull his gaze away from the girl. He shrugged and bit his thumbnail as the gates of the prison came into view.

"I don't know." Daryl said as Axel slid open the gate. "But I ain't sure how Shane is gonna take this."

"I'll handle Shane." Rick told him. "You just get her to Hershel." Daryl nodded as the car pulled to a stop, and got out. Opening the back door, he sent Axel a threatening glare as he approached, warning him to stay back. He still didn't trust the inmates they had found in the prison. He pulled the unconscious girl from the back seat and carried her to the prison, ignoring the shocked looks and whispers coming from the rest of the group. He pushed past Shane who stared him down and made his way to Hershel's cell.

"Found somethin' out in the woods." He said into the cell. Hershel looked up from the card game he and Maggie had been playing and the smile fell from his face. Maggie gasped and stood up, quickly coming over to look at the girl. "She's pretty messed up."

"Let's get her to the infirmary." Hershel told them, using his crutches to stand on his remaining leg. Daryl nodded and followed them through the dark hallways leading to the medical room.

Once he layed her limp body down in the table he stood back and watched as Maggie and Hershel checked her over.

"First thing's first," Hershel said, pulling back her eyelid and looking into her eye. "She's so dehydrated I'm surprised she isn't dead. Maggie grab a saline bag and a drip." Maggie rushed over to the cabinet that held a meager amount of medical supplies and took out the bag of fluid and long plastic tube. She hung the bag from a hook next to the bed and handed the end of the tube to her father.

The second the needle pierced her skin, the girls eyes flew open and the knife still clutched in her hand was at Hershel's throat. Her wild blue eyes darted around the room as Daryl stepped forward and Hershel held out a hand to him.

"We're trying to help you dear." He said calmly to her, gently pushing the knife away from his skin. Her eyes landed on Daryl and she stilled, chest still heaving as she nodded once and let her arm fall to the table. Slowly, he walked forward and pulled the knife out of her grip.

"What's your name?" Maggie asked, and her gaze landed on her.

"Amanda." The girl said quietly in a raspy voice.

"Ok, Amanda." Hershel said soothingly, "I need you to lie back down. This is just saline. You're severely dehydrated." She slowly layed back on the table, her sharp eyes watching as he inserted the needle into her vein. "I'm Hershel and this is my daughter Maggie." Maggie smiled at her warmly and Amanda's eyes found Daryl's. Maggie looked at him as well and inclined her head towards the girl on the table, wordlessly ordering him to introduce himself. He stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Daryl." He said quietly. Amanda nodded and her eyes began to droop closed.

"Daryl." She said in a whisper, just before her head lolled to the side again.


	3. Chapter 3

***TRIGGER WARNING* This chapter does describe assault. Please don't read it if that type of thing will bother you!**

 **Authors note: I'm honestly really enjoying writing this story, it's just kinda coming to me as I go, which is my favorite type of writing. Please let me know what you guys think of it!**

 **Bruna Pereira: I'm so glad you like it so far! I've never read a fic that still has Shane alive at the prison either, I thought it might make things interesting. I hope you like this one as well!**

 _I woke up in a dim room, my head pounding as I laid on the floor. Moving to get up, I realized my hands and feet were tied tightly with rope. It_ _chaffed my wrists as I strained against it. I looked around myself in vain, recognizing this room as a basement, and sighed, seeing there was nothing I could use to cut through my restraints. Rolling to my side I pulled my arms under my legs, so atleast they were infront of me, instead of behind my back. I began biting at the heavy duty nylon rope, desperately trying to free myself._

 _The door at the top of the stairs opened and I stopped my attempts at the rope. The man who had knocked me out at the abandoned convenience store earlier walked down the stairs. The one that looked like a jacked, older Theo James. He stopped at the foot of the stairs and smiled at me with perfect teeth, crouching down in front of me and balancing on the balls of his feet._

 _"Been tryin' to escape?" He asked, pointing what I recognized as my own knife at the partially frayed rope around my wrists. I said nothing and glared at him, shuffling back when he came closer. "Ah ah ah." He cooed, grabbing the rope securing my ankles and dragging me back across the dirty cement floor. He pulled me closer towards him, so I was practically laying underneath him. He placed his knees on either side of me and leaned down close to my face. "Let's have some fun, huh?" He said darkly. My pulse pounded in my ears and I lashed out furiously with my bound hands and tried to wiggle away from him. He sighed. "Not gonna make this easy for me are ya?"_

 _"Fuck you." I spat._

 _He chuckled and pulled a rag from his back pocket._

 _"Watch that pretty little mouth of yours." He said, wrapping his hand around the back of my head and forcing the rag into my mouth as I tried to resist. He stood up, using the rope around my wrists to pull me up with him and carried me backwards towards the stone wall. Lifting my arms above my head, he hung my wrists on a sturdy metal hook I hadn't seen sticking out. My heart began pounding harder as he stepped back and looked at me, rubbing his chin like he was appraising some painting in a museum. The hook was high off the ground and I had to stand on my toes to keep my arms from being pulled from their sockets._

 _"That's better." He said, moving forward until he was standing only inches in front of me. I turned my head to the side, trying to look anywhere but at him. His fingers wrapped around my chin and turned my head, forcing me to look at him. He smiled again and his hand began to wander down my shirt, slowly unbuttoning each button, watching my face for my reaction. I glared at him and my chest heaved as I began to panic. I had no way to fight him, no weapon, I was strung up like some pig. He finally reached the last button and pulled my shirt open, his face falling as he realized I had a tank top on underneath. "Well, that just won't do." He placed the knife on the hem of my shirt and yanked upwards, the sound of tearing fabric echoed through the empty room. I shivered as the cool air of the basement hit my skin. "Mm" he moaned, cupping my breasts through my bra. I groaned, hating at this moment that I was well endowed in that area. I gagged on the fabric in my mouth and turned my head again. This time, he roughly grabbed my chin and turned it toward him, his fingertips digging into my skin painfully. "Look at me!" He shouted in my face. I narrowed my eyes at him, wishing I could kill him, wanting to gut him like an animal. He slowly pushed my bra up, my breasts bouncing as they were freed. He roughly grabbed one of my nipples and twisted, causing me to shriek in pain into the gag. He smiled darkly and did the same with the other. They both now stood red and erect and I cursed my body for betraying me. I gasped as he lowered himself to their height, taking one in his mouth, as his hand roughly fondled the other. My cry was muffled as he squeezed painfully and bit down sharply at the same time. Tears sprung into my eyes as he switched breasts and did the same to the other. I pulled at the rope around my wrists uselessly, the fiber tearing at my skin, I could feel blood starting to leak down my arms. Standing back up, he looked down at me, pushing his body into mine, pinning me against the wall. He was so much taller than me that I could feel his hard arousal pushing into my stomach._

 _"You like that?" He asked huskily, his eyes hooded with lust as he held my chin. I gave him no reaction and he slapped my cheek, hard. "You will." His hand moved down to my jeans and unbuttoned them._

 _I let out a sob into the gag as I felt his fingers force their way into my panties, then inside me. I whimpered and tried to pull back from him, repulsed by what he was doing to me. He smiled sickly and shoved his digits farther into me, nearly lifting me off my toes. I cried out again as tears gathered in my eyes as he licked up my neck. "Oh yea, you're gonna cry for me." He growled in my ear._

 _The door at the top of the stairs opened and another man walked halfway down them, smirking when he saw us._

 _"Come on man," He said, "you can finish this later. There's lamebrains outside." He looked me up and down before turning back up the stairs and closing the door. The man assaulting me sighed and pulled his fingers from within me. He roughly pinched my nipple again, making me jump, then ran his damp hand down my face. He reached in my mouth and pulled out the rag, making sure to run his fingers over my tongue so I could taste myself on him._

 _"We'll finish this later." He repeated his friend, backing up to look at me. I hung my head and watched his boots walk across the floor then up the stairs._

 _When the door closed I let a sob tear through me, shaking with the force of it. I looked down at myself, my shirt was torn and my bra was still pushed up my chest, my nipples were red and chaffed. My pants were undone and pulled halfway down my thighs with my panties and I could still feel everywhere he had touched me. I sobbed again, and let the tears come. I didn't know how I was going to get out of this one._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Hey, wake up," a rough voice said, "it's just a dream."

A hand shook my shoulder and I shrieked, frantically taking in the room around me, seeing that it was no longer the basement from my nightmare. Only I knew it wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory, the same one I kept reliving in my sleep, again and again. My eyes darted around the room and landed on Daryl, where he stood next to the stretcher I was laying on. I went to wipe the tears from my face and froze as metal handcuffs clinked against the bar on the side of the bed, securing my hands to it. Panic rose in my chest and I looked from Daryl to the handcuffs and quickly sat up, turning so I was on my knees on the mattress, straining frantically against them. I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate as the shackles clanged uselessly. Daryl reached out a hand towards me and I screamed, falling off the side of the bed, the stretcher toppling over with me. He looked at me in bewilderment and Maggie rushed through the door, taking in the sight of me kneeling on the floor next to the fallen stretcher, still attached to it, and a very confused looking Daryl on the other side. My eyes sought out hers and I sobbed.

"Take them off! _Please_! Get them off!" I begged her, my voice reaching an unnaturally high octave in my panic. She nodded at Daryl with wide eyes and he reached over the bed, my body cowered away from him instinctually, and he quickly unlocked the handcuffs. They fell to the floor and I pushed myself back into the corner of the room. Running my hands into my hair, I rocked back and forth as Maggie carefully approached me.

"Told y'all that was a bad idea." Daryl said behind her, I looked up at him. He seemed to understand that he needed to give me space, seeing as he stayed on the other side of the room.

"She pulled a knife on dad! We had to take precautions." Maggie told him, looking back at me, offering this as an explanation for the restraints. My head pounded as I stared down at the floor, trying to regain control of my heart rate.

"You saw her wrists when you put on the cuffs!" He exclaimed, motioning towards me. "I told ya she wasn't gonna like it."

Three men entered through the doorway, Hershel and the man that had been with Daryl earlier, and another I hadn't met yet. He was shorter than the others but he had thick, beefy arms, to go along with his large chest. An aura of fury radiated off of him and I shrank back farther into the corner.

"Why is she uncuffed?" He questioned, pointing at me, walking towards Maggie and I. Daryl stepped in front of us to stop him.

"She woke up in handcuffs and freaked out. Jus' like I said would happen." He said, blocking him from moving farther into the room.

"Shane." The tall one said cautiously, walking forward to put his hand on his shoulder. Shane brushed it off angrily and walked toward us, shouldering past Daryl.

"Nah Rick." He said, "I told you- I _told_ you we shouldn't bring any more people in, first Randall, then the prisoners, now her. It always ends the same. Our people die!" His eyes bore into mine and I stood up, the fact that once again, a man had my back against a wall made me sneer at him hatefully. "Just look at her." he spat. He pushed past Maggie and I squared my shoulders, glaring at him as he advanced on me, his chest puffed out like some type of pit bull.

"Get away from me." I snarled, he laughed and reached out toward me. I reacted.

I seized his pinkie and twisted it backwards, he hadn't been expecting it and the unnatural angle forced him to buckle his knee, attempting to get away from the pain. I slammed my boot down onto the back of his knee and locked my arm around his throat, cutting off his circulation. All of this happened in seconds and I looked up to see them looking at us in shock.

"I said, get away from me." I growled in his ear, loosening my grip and pushing him away. He stood up and rounded on me as Daryl stepped forward, shoving him back.

"That bitch has gotta go." Shane yelled, pointing at me.

"Fine." I snapped.

"No." Hershel declared, hobbling into the room on his crutches. I noticed for the first time that he was missing his leg from the knee down. "You've got two gunshot wounds, you're dehydrated, and when was the last time you even ate?" I grit my teeth and stared at him, not able to answer, seeing as I couldn't even remember. "You go out there in your condition, you'll die."

"Fine," Shane said, shaking his head. "Lock her in a cell 'til she's ready to go." I cocked my head to the side in confusion. Shane shouldered past Rick out of the room and the man looked at me apologetically before following Shane.

"We ain't lockin' you in a cell." Daryl said. I looked at him questioningly.

"What do ya mean, a cell?" I asked, "where exactly are we?"

"A prison." Maggie told me. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"That's smart." I said, impressed.

"C'mon," Hershel sighed, motioning to my bandage, a bright red patch of blood was staining the gauze wrapped around my forearm. "Let's patch you back up." Daryl pulled the stretcher upright and I perched on the edge, warily watching as he took the handcuffs and put them in his pocket.

When Hershel was finished re-stitching my arm he put down the needle, promising to bring me something to eat. He and Maggie left the room and Daryl sat in the chair in the corner of the room, away from me.

"You don't gotta babysit me." I told him, "I ain't gonna do nothin'." He grunted and chewed on his thumbnail.

"Ain't you so much that I'm worried about." He said after a moment.

"What, Shane?"

He nodded. "And others." I crossed my arms and looked over at him. He was a good looking man, I had to admit. His longer hair hung in his face as he picked at his nails. Each movement he made caused his bicep to bulge and the sleeveless leather vest he wore fit him just right. I swallowed and shook my head as my mind naturally wandered farther, turning to glare at the wall in front of me. Even the idea of another man's hands touching me sent a shudder through my body. He noticed and I saw him glance up at me out of the corner of my eye.

I ignored his gaze and layed down on the mattress, turning my back to him. My eyes drifted closed and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, for which I was grateful.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I opened my eyes to a dark room, only a lantern in the corner shedding any light. On the table next to the bed was a plastic tray with food on it. My stomach rumbled painfully and I quickly sat up, pulling it towards me and shoving the food into my mouth with my hands. I seized the bottle of water next to it and chugged from it, the liquid wetting my parched throat.

Someone cleared their throat behind me and I froze, lowering the bottle from my lips and wiping the back of my hand across my mouth as I turned toward the sound. In the corner, sat a small woman with short grey hair, she smiled warmly at me and I stared at her, unsure of what to say.

"Sorry it's cold." She said finally, breaking the silence. "When I brought it in, it was warm but I didn't want to wake you."

"N-no, this is great." I said, eying the tray I had just ravaged. "Thank you." She stood up and crossed the room, her hand extended towards me.

"Carol." She said, introducing herself. I grasped her hand and quickly let it go.

"Amanda." I muttered.

She smiled at me again sweetly. "What happened to you out there?" She asked, I looked down at the floor and squeezed my eyes shut. Roy's face flashed into my mind and I took a deep breath. "Daryl and Rick told us how they found you, but no one knows what really happened to you."

I opened my eyes and stared at my boots. "They captured me, and... tortured me." I muttered, hearing a sharp intake of breath from her. I swallowed. "And the one, he- he.." I exhaled shakily and stood up from the bed, running my hand through my hair as I looked through the small barred window in the room.

Her small, warm hand touched my back and I jumped.

"I escaped but they hunted me down," I frowned, still staring out into the dark night. "They were takin' me back to their camp when Daryl and Rick found us." She rubbed my back slightly and I marveled at how comforting it was, to have her touching me without the intent to harm me. The feeling of Roy's hand wrapped around my throat flew through my mind and shivered, stepping away from her. "I'm sorry, I-"

"I understand." She said softly. I looked up at her finally, expecting to see pity in her eyes, but there wasn't. "My husband used to beat us. My daughter and I. I know the... after effects something like that can have on the mind." I gaped at her, surprised by such a confession, so easily given to a stranger. I nodded my head at her, unsure of what else to say, and rubbed the back of my neck.

"I'll be out of your guys hair soon." I told her. Her brow furrowed.

"Do you have people to get back to?" She asked. I was shaking my head before she even finished the question.

"No. They're all dead."

"Then why leave?" She asked.

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "Well I don't seem very welcome here, for one thing." I motioned my head towards the door.

"Shane?" She asked, scoffing herself. "Shane doesn't decide who stays and goes. Rick does."

"Then why-"

"He thinks he's in charge, but he messed that up a long time ago." She didn't explain and I shrugged.

"I'm better off on my own." I continued, trying to argue my way out.

Daryl's voice interjected from the doorway and I jumped. "Can't do anything without people anymore." He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. My cheeks heated up and I looked away from him, wondering how long he'd been there, and what he had heard.

"People make you care, and caring makes you weak." I said to the wall, refusing to look at either of them, but I saw them share a glance out of the corner of my eye.

"C'mon." He said, "we'll show you where your cell is."

"My cell?"

"Well ya can't stay in here." He said with a smirk. Carol nodded with her own small smile and I cautiously followed him out into the dark hallway with her.

Daryl unlocked a barred door and we stepped into a cellblock. I felt my mouth drop open at the sight of it. There were a bunch of people sitting at the various tables around the room and even with the dull gray cement floor and walls, there was an unmistakable homey feel to it, thanks to the candle light casting a warm glow throughout the dreary darkness of it. Everyone looked up as we entered and my steps faltered as I crossed my arms, hugging myself nervously. A woman sitting at a table with Maggie stood up and I felt my eyes widen when she turned toward us. She must have been eight or nine months pregnant.

"Hi, I'm Rick's wife, Lori." She said, extending her hand as she waddled toward us. I shook it as I had Carol's; quickly. "And this is our son, Carl." A young boy peeked around her and I felt my breath catch. He looked like Nolan. Tears stung in my eyes as he smiled at me, reaching his hand out as well. I grasped it lightly, unable to take my eyes off of his face.

"Hi." I said breathlessly. My hand fell to my side and I looked up at Daryl.

"Can you um.. can you show me.." he nodded and I was grateful that he looked as eager to get my blubbering ass out of there as I was. He turned and walked off toward a set of metal stairs on the side of the room. I wiped at my eyes and followed him, once again freezing as I spotted Shane standing off to the side of the staircase. He stared me down and I swallowed nervously.

"C'mon." Daryl muttered to me, putting his hand on my back. I jumped as if I'd been burned and he quickly removed it, moving aside so I could go up the stairs infront of him.

On the landing at the top of the staircase was a sleeping bag and mattress with a few personal items scattered around it. I looked at him questioningly and he shrugged.

"I ain't one for sleepin' in a cell." He muttered, walking past it toward the next open cell door. "This is you." He said. I walked into the small room and sighed. Atleast there was a bed.

"Here." Daryl said quietly, and I turned back to see him holding out my knife.

Grasping the handle, I looked up into his eyes, thrown off again by how strikingly blue they were. "Thank you." I whispered. He nodded again and paused before walking out the door.

"I'm right out here." He said, motioning back towards his perch, I tried to decide if that made me feel better or worse. He left the cell and I sat on the bottom bunk of the bed, leaning back against the cold cement wall.

That's how I stayed for the rest of the night, sitting rigid with my eyes glued to the door, my knife held tightly in my hand.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors note: Sorry this one took a little longer to get out, I work pretty long hours during the week so actually getting time to sit down and write during the week is tough sometimes. Thank you everyone for the reviews, favorites, and follows! Please keep up the reviews! I really enjoy seeing them pop up in my notifications!**

 **Bruna pereira: I agree! I'm glad you liked my writing of it. It actually made me angry just writing it. And I didn't personally like Shane on the show but I love Jon Bernthal as an actor. He made Shane truly unlike-able for me. I hope you continue reading and like this next chapter.**

 **Devil.dog35: I'm glad you like it! I'm going to be changing up a lot in this fic so I hope you continue to read it!**

Daryl 

"She's kinda a jumpy little thing ain't she?" T-dog asked as he and Daryl smoked their cigarettes, taking a break from cleaning all the dead walkers out of the yard.

Daryl shrugged. "Can't really say I blame her." It had been nearly a week since he accidentally overheard Amanda telling Carol some of what had happened to her as he walked up the hallway. Voices echoed easily in the prison.

Obviously she'd been beaten, that was easy to see, she was marked from head to toe, but he hadn't expected to hear her say "tortured". He thought about what she had been unable to admit it to Carol, stuttering over the words. Those men had done more than just beat her. The way she had coiled like a snake when Shane was berating her, her body language showing she was ready to strike at any moment. And the way she nearly jumped out of her skin any time a man touched her; no, there was something more to it. He dropped the butt of his cigarette and ground it out with his toe angrily. Shaking his head, he grabbed the ankles of another walker as T grabbed its arms.

Why did he even care this much? She was just some random girl in this shit world, who had dropped into their lives by coincidence.

 _"People make you care, and caring makes you weak."_ She had said.

He snorted at the thought of it. He had grown to care about the people of this group; about whether they lived or died, if they had a roof over their heads or food in their stomachs. But he didn't think that made them weak. He didn't lash out or close himself off as much anymore, like he did back when they were at the quarry. He protected them like they protected him.

Shane walked out of the prison and Daryl glared at him; well, almost everybody protected each other.

Shane had left Andrea for dead at the farm as it was being overrun by walkers, leaving her stranded in the middle of the field with no way to escape. They hadn't been able to go back for her and the guilt still nibbled at Daryl when he thought about it. And thanks to Shane's negligence, Dale had gotten killed by a rogue inmate when they found the prison. He frowned, thinking of the kind old man and the girl.

"She's pretty cute though." T-dog mentioned, bringing him back to the present. Daryl shrugged nonchalantly, not willing to admit that he agreed.

"Leave 'er alone, man." He mumbled, eying up the walkers gathering along the fence.

T laughed. "What? You callin' dibs?" Daryl smirked and shook his head, pushing T-dog halfheartedly.

"Nah," he said, wiping the dirt off of his hands, "jus' seems like she's been through hell. She don't need anyone tryin' to jump her."

T nodded in agreement as Carol came out into the yard.

"I made lunch." She said as she approached them. Daryl looked around the courtyard, deciding they had done a good days work, and followed Carol and T-dog toward cell block C.

"Do you mind getting Amanda?" Carol asked him as they entered the cool building. He grunted in reply and headed up the metal staircase, towards her cell where she had been sleeping and recovering for the last few days. The door to her cell was closed, like it usually was when she was inside. He shrugged to himself, figuring she probably felt safer that way, but when he pulled on the bars to open it, the door didn't budge.

"What the-" he mumbled to himself. The doors didn't lock from the inside and he was sure neither Rick nor himself had locked her in, and Shane didn't have a set of keys. Peering through the bars he noticed a rope, tied in an intricate knot around one of the bars, holding it shut, as it was tied to one of the support beams of her bed. He stepped closer to the door, peering in. On the bed he could see her sleeping, with her back to the door.

"Hey, Amanda." He said gently, trying not to startle her, like he had in the infirmary. She made a noise and he turned his ear toward the cell, straining to hear what she was saying.

" _No. No. No. No. No.."_ She was crying in her sleep again and he looked back towards the tables on the lower floor. They were all eating and talking to each other, none of them paying him any attention, except for Shane. He caught Shane's gaze and glared at him with narrowed eyes, waiting until he looked away. When he finally did, Daryl turned back towards the door and tapped his knuckle against the metal, marveling at how quickly she was on her feet, knife raised threateningly towards the noise that had woken her. Her wide blue eyes stared at him for a moment before she lowered the knife and wiped her face. He could see tears on her cheeks in the low light shining into the cell. She stepped closer and looked at him expectantly, he noticed she stayed far enough away from the door to stay out of reach.

"There's lunch." He said, inclining his head back towards the lower floor. She nodded silently and ran a hand through her hair, putting the knife in its sheath strapped to her leg.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, untying the knot. "Couldn't sleep." She muttered, pushing the door open once she had untied it. He didn't comment and they walked down the stairs to sit down, taking the only two seat left. He noticed her slide closer to Maggie, almost as if she subconsciously kept her distance from any male. They dug in hungrily and there was silence throughout the room as everyone ate.

When he was done, T-dog stood up, stretching and pushed his empty plastic tray away. "You still got those smokes?" He asked Daryl. Daryl nodded and stood up as well, pausing when Amanda leaned closer to him.

"You think I could get one?" She asked him quietly. He nodded again and she got up to follow them outside.

"Oh wow, is that a Bonneville?" She asked, walking over to Daryl's bike. T-dog nudged him with his elbow, one eyebrow raised as they watched her look over the motorcycle.

"You sure you don't wanna call dibs?" He joked quietly, before walking over to join her, admiring the bike. "Yea, it's Daryl's." He said, pointing to him. When she looked back at him her eyes were alight and he realized this was the first time he'd seen her smile. His stomach fluttered uncomfortably and he walked over to join them.

He was surprised by her knowledge of bikes and at some point, while she quizzed him about the common problems with the ignition switch that this model had, T-dog snuck away, leaving them to talk by themselves.

"how do ya know so much about motorcycles?" He asked, taking a drag of his smoke as she inspected one of the coils.

"I ran a bike repair shop in Jasper before everything." She told him, and he gaped at her. "Well, it was my dad's shop," she continued, "I took over when he almost ran it into the ground. You pick up a few things." She smiled at him again, leaning on the handlebars.

"Well it needs a tune up, if you can schedule me in." He laughed. She laughed along with him and he admired the melodic sound. She touched his arm kindheartedly as she laughed, and they both paused, looking down at her hand. Quickly, she withdrew it and cleared her throat.

"I'm gonna go help Carol clean up." She said, turning and quickly walking back towards c block. He watched her go and shook his head when he caught himself looking at her ass.

 _Don't even think about it, Dixon._ He thought, throwing the butt of his cigarette away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Amanda

Carol was already done cleaning when I walked back into the prison, so I wandered over to Hershel's cell.

He was laying on his bunk as Maggie sat next to him, talking to a young blonde girl and an Asian man. They all looked up as I stopped at the door.

"I uh- I never said thank you, for- for helping me." I stammered, feeling my face turn red. Hershel smiled kindly at me and I couldn't help giving him one in return.

"Have you met my other daughter?" He asked, the young girl turned to me and I shook my head, I had been sleeping most of the day for damn near a week, not able to make introductions just yet. I extended my good arm towards the young girl.

"Hi, I'm Beth." She said with her heavy Georgian accent.

"Amanda." I said.

"Glen." Said the man with a friendly smile, also extending his hand towards me. I stared at it for a moment before swallowing and shaking it quickly. They all watched me as I awkwardly ducked my head and mumbled some excuse to get out of the cell.

 _Am I ever going to be like a normal person again?_ I thought to myself as I started to explore the parts of the prison I hadn't seen yet. I was tired of jumping every time one of the men moved, tired of feeling like every one of them was a threat. Always being on guard was exhausting. These people were kind. They had helped me, hell, they were _still_ helping me. I passed the infirmary and kept walking down the hall, lost in my thoughts.

I turned the corner and the hair on the back of my neck stood up as I faced the poorly lit hallway. I could feel someones presence behind me as I slowly turned, my eyes adjusting to the dark, and reached for my knife. I didn't have time to unsheath it as my back was slammed into the hard concrete wall behind me. A large hand covered my mouth as I tried to scream and I could finally see that it was Shane pressed against me. Panic rose in my chest and I struggled futilely against him.

"Shhh shh shh." He hushed me, looking around us. There was no one and I squeezed my eyes shut, willing away the image of Roy holding me in almost the exact same way. I couldn't lose it, not now. I had to get away from him. Something glinted in the dark and I flinched away when I saw he held the handcuffs in his hand. He roughly pulled my arms forward and clicked the cuffs around my wrists. My breathing was coming in sharp, muffled gasps against his palm as he pushed me roughly ahead of him.

 _Think. Think. Think._

He opened a door and sunlight blinded me. We were at the side of the prison yard, away from the main entrance. The stench of dead bodies burned my nostrils, tainting the only breath I could take through my nose. This must have been where they threw everything- trash and the dead- so they didn't have to see it. I stumbled over some type of metal debris and he shushed me again, painfully squeezing my arm. I spotted a large pile of trash in front of us and got an idea.

We were headed for the fence, I would imagine so he could get rid of me outside of the prison, without any witnesses. The pile of trash grew closer as we walked, Shane's head turning left and right constantly. We were about to pass it and I wrenched arms out of his grip, throwing myself into the pile. Metal clanged to the ground loudly, echoing across the yard and I hissed through my teeth as something cut along my cheek. Shane stormed toward me, his face twisted in fury as he seized my arm and started to pull me from the pile. But I knew it had worked. Footsteps sounded at the corner of the building and I sighed in relief as Daryl walked around it, closely followed by Rick and T-dog.

Shane let go of my arm and backed up when he saw the three and I fell backwards, landing on my butt on the concrete. Daryl was the first to reach me and he pulled me up off the ground, eyes flashing in anger as he took in the handcuffs and my now bleeding face. He pulled out a set of keys and used the smallest one to unlock the cuffs. His fingers touched my chin, gently bringing my eyes up to his.

"Y'alright?" He asked softly. I nodded and rested my head against his chest, closing my eyes as I exhaled shakily. One of his hands rested on my back and I heard Rick's voice.

"Care to explain the meaning of this?" He asked Shane, voice dripping with anger. I looked up at the men and gasped when Shane pulled his pistol from behind his back, aiming it at me. Daryl pushed me behind him and I peeked under his arm, watching as Rick too, raised his own gun at Shane.

"She needs to go." Was all he said.

"That ain't your call." Rick stated.

Shane laughed and shook his head. "You and that bleeding heart. We can't go around picking up every stray kitten and beaten puppy we find, man. You're gonna get us all killed. For what? Strangers? People that ain't our problem?" His eyes were crazed as he looked around at the three of them before settling his eyes on me, he stepped toward Daryl and I, and Daryl raised the crossbow from his side, still shielding me with his body. Rick took a step toward Shane, distracting him from us. "You're gonna get Lori killed, Carl, the baby." he smirked. " _My_ baby." My eyes widened and Daryl's head turned slightly towards Rick, watching for his reaction. Rick sneered at the man, looking as if he could spit.

"Daryl, hand me those cuffs." He said, not taking his eyes away from Shane. Daryl let the bow hang at his side and stepped closer to Rick, reaching one arm behind him and grasping my hand so he could keep himself fully infront of me, I held onto it tightly, moving with him. He handed Rick the cuffs and stepped back, farther away from Shane.

"You're problem is with me, not her." Rick said, taking a step closer to Shane. I saw T-dog side step farther to Shane's left side, they had him surrounded in a semi circle now.

"That _is_ the problem, Rick." Shane spat. "Everyone who's died, has died because of you. Their blood is on your hands! Not mine. They died cuz you can't see, you can't see what it takes to be a real leader. You gotta make the tough decisions." His voice cracked as he yelled and his eyes focused on me again.

Suddenly, he made a break for us. I tripped backwards as he and Daryl collided, quickly followed by T and Rick joining the scuffle. I tried to keep track of who was throwing what punches and what was being yelled but my brain felt like it had shut down from shock, only able to observe, not decipher, what was happening in front of me.

Finally, they all stopped grappling and Shane lay on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back.

"Rick!" He yelled into the dirt, sending up a little dust cloud, "Rick, think about it! You let more in, more are gonna die." Rick looked at me, and for a moment I thought he was going to agree with Shane. Instead, he spoke to T-dog as Daryl returned to me.

"Let's lock him in a cell." He said, grabbing one of Shane's arms and pulling him up as T grabbed the other. Shane lunged one last time at me before the two men holding him forced him to walk into the prison.

I released a shaky breath as they disappeared around the corner and Daryl looked at me thoughtfully.

"Stay here." He said, and handed me a cigarette. I held it with shaking fingers as he lit it for me and I sat down against the wall, watching him walk around the same corner the others had gone around.

When he returned he was carrying my knife and pistol in his hands. He handed them to me, inclining his head toward the main gate.

"Come on." He said, holding out a hand to help me up. I stood up with his help, and began following him towards the gate.

"Where are we goin'?" I asked as we walked through the large pathway between the two fences. He didn't answer until we came to a red wire, holding the cut-open fence together.

"Ya seem like you could use a break." He told me, chewing on his thumbnail as his eyes traveled over the walkers farther down the fence. He quickly unlooped the wire and held the fence open for me. I climbed through, and felt his hand on my back. Once we stepped through the fence, I took a deep breath, feeling like the world was just a little bit less suffocating outside. An undead woman stumbled closer to us as he strung the wire through the fence and I stalked towards her, quietly shoving my knife into her head and lowering her to the ground, so as not to attract the attention of the other ones farther down the fence.

I jumped slightly when I turned and he was watching me, a small gleam of approval in his eyes. "This way." He said, striding off towards the woods.

The farther we walked into the forest the more relaxed I became. There was a difference between the tension filled guard I had up while in the prison, surrounded by people, and the watchful eye I kept out in the trees. Daryl walked ahead of me silently, his footfalls making barely any noise in the foliage.

"Shane's a loose cannon." He said finally, after we had walked for several minutes. I chewed on my lip and he looked back at me. "He's loosing it. He's gotten members of our group killed, and I think he'll let anyone die if he thinks it's what's gonna save his own skin."

"Why won't Rick kick him out?" I asked with a furrowed brow. Daryl scoffed.

"They were both cops, partners, before all this. Rick's a good man. But his loyalty to Shane blinds 'im."

"What about Lori? He said that was his baby?" Daryl rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yea, Shane n' Lori were bumpin' uglies for a little while before Rick found them again." I raised my eyebrows and he continued. "They thought he was dead."

"Makes sense, I guess." I shrugged, "dwelling on the dead don't help you out much anymore." He bit his thumbnail and looked at me.

"You lost someone?" He asked hesitantly. I nodded and looked around the trees, anywhere but at his piercing blue eyes.

"I lost my mom, brother, dad, and the man who had been like a second dad to me all in one go." I muttered, I looked back at him, seeing not pity, but understanding written across his features. "My mom, brother and Terry all got bit, right in front of me, one right after another. I didn't even have time to stop it. My dad; he jus'... left. He jus' walked off and left us. He's probably dead too." I grit my teeth thinking of the man. Daryl made a small sound of agreement and resumed walking through the trees. I followed after him.

"You been alone since?" He asked.

"Yea. It's better that way." He turned to me with something resembling anger in his eyes and I stopped, crossing my arms over my chest.

"What?" I asked.

"It ain't better." He answered. "Ya tell yourself that until you're 'bout to die. Then ya regret it."

I opened my mouth to reply when twig snapped to the right of us. Immediately, we both took defensive stances as five of the undead ambled out of the trees toward us. We shared a glance and gave each other a curt nod, before turning back to the group in front of us. An arrow whizzed through the air and one fell to the ground, unmoving. I stalked forward and shoved one against a tree, my knife taking the life out of its eyes. I could see Daryl out of the corner of my eye stabbing another. I tackled one of the remaining two to the ground, and impaled my knife into its forehead. It stopped moving underneath me and I stood up. A hand grabbed my arm and I let out a smell shriek, whirling around with my knife raised. Daryl let go of my arm and put his hands in the air. I dropped my knife to my side with a huff of relief and put it back in its sheath.

I stood frozen as he reached out slowly and ran his thumb over the cut in my cheek. "It's from earlier." I said, feeling my skin turn warm where his fingers brushed over it. His eyes hardened and he dropped his hand, walking farther into the forest.

It was a few hours later when we re-emerged from the trees. I walked ahead of him to clear any walkers -as he called them- out of our path, seeing as he had a deer thrown over his back. He had been right, I had needed a break and my shoulders no longer held the tension that had been in them before we went into the forest. I unlooped the wire from the fence and held it back for him. He nodded in thanks and climbed through. I shook my head as I caught myself again, checking him out when his back was to me. I had noticed myself doing it earlier while he was hunting, his large arms holding the crossbow infront of him as sweat glistened on his biceps. I frowned and scoffed at myself. Right now he probably looked at me like I was some injured puppy, in need of care and comforting. That's why he had taken me out there today. Besides, I had no intentions of staying here. As soon as I was able, I would sneak out. Thanks to Daryl, I knew where the hole in the fence was now. I wouldn't be a drain on these people any longer than I needed to be. And I couldn't let myself get attached.

We were walking toward the prison courtyard and shared a look when we heard yelling coming from inside the prison. Daryl started running and I followed after him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note: thank you everyone for the favorites, follows and reviews! Please keep them up!**

 **2 things-**

 **1\. I edited a little bit, when Rick and Daryl find Ananda with Roy and Mike, I meant to say unconscious, not dead. Roy and Mike are still alive. That wasn't a shitty enough ending for them ;)**

 **2\. If you would like to put a face to the name Amanda, google image search "Gatling gun motorcycle model"** **the model on the bike is pretty much how I've envisioned Amanda since I made her up. Maybe just a little bit shorter**.

 **Bruna pereira: if you like Daryl's POV you should check out my other fic, Feral, I think you'll like that one too. I like the damsel in distress/ badass chick thing too, as long as they even each other out. And that's so awesome! Hello from the US! I promise we're not all as bad as they say! Lol**

Amanda

Daryl threw the exterior metal door open and hurried into the prison as I followed him. Shouts echoed off the walls as he dropped the deer carcass on the table and strode towards the cellblock door. When we both walked through, we paused, shocked by what we saw.

Shane stood in the middle of the room with one of the men in a prisoners uniform. His throat was locked in Shane's grip and he had Rick's gun to his head. I could see Glen laying on the floor, unconscious. Daryl walked into the room, anger rolling off of him in waves.

"Daryl, don't." Rick said from where he stood in front of Lori.

"Oh-ho-ho! It's the guest of honor!" Shane thundered, looking at me. "How's about you come over here, princess?" I glared at him as a growl rumbled in Daryl's chest. He stepped in front of me, again blocking me from Shane's view protectively.

"Not gonna happen." He fumed.

"See, you're not really in a position to be decidin'." Shane said, aiming the gun at Daryl. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and stepped around him. Daryl grabbed my arm and shook his head. I looked between him and Shane and swallowed as Shane cocked the gun still aimed at Daryl's chest.

"Don't hurt them." I said to him in a tight voice, stepping infront of Daryl so the gun wasn't aimed him anymore. "I can leave. I won't be a problem to y'all anymore." Shane laughed and I watched the gun quiver in his hand.

"Too late for that." Shane said. I glanced back at Rick and Lori. Lori had a angry red mark across her face and tears in her eyes. I grit my teeth, just knowing that he had hit her.

"Well what do ya want then?" I asked him angrily, fury filling my veins.

"You and him," he shifted so the blond man in his clutch whimpered, "And him." He inclined his head at the tall black man in another prisoners uniform. "Y'all are comin' with me." His eyes were insane as he spoke, looking around at us all.

"Alright." I said, walking towards him. Daryl's hand wrapped around my arm and I looked back at him.

"No." He said to me quietly, "He's gonna kill ya." I swallowed and looked at his face, my eyes flicking back and forth between his own.

"He might." I whispered, "but I'll kill him myself before he can come back and hurt y'all anymore."

"Come on!" Shane yelled, pulling the blond man back into one of the unlit hallways. I shared a look with the other prisoner and we began following them into the dark hall. "Close that door." Shane barked at me, throwing a set of keys at my feet. I bit my lip and closed the barred door, looking back at Daryl as I did so. His face was like a thundercloud as he watched me. All of their eyes were glued to the door as the lock tumbled with a metallic clang.

I took a deep breath and turned back to Shane, meeting his cruel eyes with a glare. He motioned for us to walk infront of him and I did, waiting until my back was turned to him to carefully slip my knife out of the sheath on my leg and into the front of my jeans waistline, hidden under my shirt. He directed us through the dark and my ears strained to listen for anything in front of or behind us.

"Open that door." Shane ordered suddenly after a few moments, making me jump in the dark. The man in the prisoners uniform that had joined us pushed open a solid metal door and we stepped through hesitantly.

I got a sinking feeling in my stomach as we walked in. There were candles already lit in the room, casting eerie shadows throughout it, and in the middle of the room were three metal tables with leather cuffs attached to them. This had all been planned, my mind started racing, trying to think of a way out of here.

I began backing away from the tables and gasped as Shane's hands roughly grabbed my shoulders, shoving me toward one of them.

"What the fuck is this?" I asked angrily, unable to resist against his strength as he pushed me down onto the table farthest to the left.

"Lay down!" He yelled at the other two, ignoring me and pointing the gun in their direction. They begrudgingly obeyed, glaring at him and Shane secured one of the leather cuffs around my wrist. Adrenaline surged through my veins as the material tightened around my skin and I knew it was now or never. I seized the knife from my waistline and slashed at him furiously. He jumped back as I felt the blade make contact with his skin, and we both looked down at his shirt where my knife had ripped it open, blood staining the edges.

I frantically began to pull at the metal fastenings of my restraint as he looked up at me, terrifying fury twisting his features. I got the cuff loose just as he collided with me, sending myself and the table flying. My head hit the concrete floor and I lay there, dazed, as he stormed toward me. I looked down to see my knife embedded in my thigh.

"Oscar, Axel, either one of you move and I will shoot both of you." He yelled at the prisoners as they had started getting up. His hand twisted into my hair and I cried out as he pulled me up and slammed my back against the wall, moving his hand to my throat. "They should have never brought you in. You have been nothing but a pain in my ass since the minute you woke up, you little bitch." He growled in my face, squeezing my neck tighter. Tears of pain filled my eyes, blurring his face and my vision started to go black around the edges as I struggled for air. His other hand still had the gun pointed towards Oscar and Axel, I knew they weren't going to be able to help me.

Suddenly, the metal door flew open with a bang, distracting Shane momentarily, and I took the opportunity to rip the knife from my leg and drive it home. He released his grip on my throat and I fell to the floor, gasping, as I watched him stare in shock down at the handle of my knife protruding from his chest. Daryl, Rick, T-dog, and a battered looking Glen ran into the room, freezing as we watched Shane fall to his knees. He coughed once and blood flew from his mouth, staining his lips. He looked around at all of us one more time before he fell to the floor, dead.

Daryl was the first to snap out of it and he moved into the room. I flinched as he stabbed his own knife into Shane's forehead, pulling mine from the dead man's chest. He turned and quickly crossed the room to kneel beside me. Rick, Glen, and T seemed to shake themselves out of their stupors and followed Daryl in, making their way towards the prisoners.

"Y'alright?" He asked me quietly and I looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Nodding wordlessly, I took a deep breath, but I wasn't able to hide the sob behind it. The adrenaline was leaving my body and I could feel all the pain, old and new, racking through me. I looked down at my leg and a pitiful whimper escaped me as I watched more blood spill from the wound on my leg. He seemed to notice it for the first time and he didn't hesitate to scoop me up into his arms. I let out a small yelp of surprise and he turned towards the door, pushing past the others and into the hallway.

"We gotta stop meeting like this." I joked weakly, trying to distract myself from the pain. He laughed humorlessly and strode into the infirmary, dumping me unceremoniously onto the stretcher I had woken up on a week ago. I watched as he roughly pulled open a drawer and fingered through the contents of it. Finally, he found what he was looking for and I flinched when he slammed the drawer shut, making the whole medical cabinet shake. He turned to me while ripping open a sterilized package with his teeth and pulling out a small curved needle and medical thread.

"Take 'em off." He ordered.

I stared at him stupidly. "What?"

He let out an aggravated sigh. "Take off your pants." He walked closer and I shrank away from him. He paused and looked me in the eye finally. Something he saw there made him pause and take a step back before running a hand down his face in frustration. "I need ya to take 'em off so I can stitch that up." He pointed to my bleeding leg and grabbed a medical gown from the cabinet. It hit me in the chest as he threw it at me, and he turned away, facing the opposite wall. I blinked at his back for a moment before standing up and taking off my pants, gingerly pulling the fabric over the bleeding gash in my thigh. I sat back down and pulled the gown over my lap.

"Oh-okay." I said in a small voice.

He turned back toward me and immediately I felt my face turn red. Who knows how long it had been since I had shaved. My legs were covered in prickly stubble and I groaned internally as his hand delicately inspected the wound. He tore open an alcohol swab and said nothing as he wiped away some of the blood, making me hiss through my teeth.

"This is gonna hurt." He muttered, and without anymore warning, he pierced the needle through the edge of my tattered skin. I watched his hands work, trying to ignore the stinging push and pull of the needle. He seemed to know what he was doing and we sat in silence until there was a tidy row of stitches holding the cut together. When he was finished he stood up, throwing the needle and alcohol wipes in the trash, and left the room, without so much as a look towards me.

I felt myself deflate as I sat there on the stretcher, watching the space in the door where the wings on the back of his vest had disappeared. I slowly stood up and tested putting weight on my leg. It stung but didn't give out and I shrugged to myself, pulling my pants back over my legs.

Cautiously, I crept back to my cell, avoiding everyone and once inside, I began throwing anything that I could find useful into a backpack.

Daryl

The ember of his cigarette glowed red as he sucked in a drag, it's warm orange glow illuminating his hand infront of his face. He'd been up here for hours, telling Glen to take the night off when he had come up to take his watch. He needed to be alone, to think. Night had fallen and he'd taken out one of the last smokes in his pack out, watching the dark forest beyond the fence as he replayed the afternoons events.

He was angry. Angry, that he had let Shane take Amanda, Axel and Oscar into the tombs for whatever sick torture he had planned for them. Angry, that he hadn't been there to help Rick when Shane overtook him. Angry, that while he watched Amanda close and lock the gate behind her, she had been knowingly, most likely sacrificing herself to protect him, and the group.

He thought about how hard his heart had started pounding when she stepped out of his sight and into the shadows. He had explained it away then as three deaths he didn't want on his hands but he knew that wasn't what made his pulse skyrocket.

This girl was under his skin. And he wasn't sure how he should feel about it. No doubt she was beautiful. But, she was smart, she'd been on her own since the beginning; you didn't get through that by being stupid.

She knew enough about bikes to school him.

She was deadly. Right in front of his eyes, he had watched her kill Shane when he was hellbent on ending her life. Who knows who else she had had to kill to survive.

But the thing that irked him the most, was how having her around felt like one of the broken pieces of him was whole. Her conversation, her laugh, her eyes. They all did something to him that he had never felt before.

His foot tapped against the floor as he thought about this. He had no idea what to do with these... _feelings_ now that he knew what they were. And the girl was still damaged, jumping any time any of the men in the group made a sudden move, got too close, or touched her.

Movement in the yard caught his eye and he sat up straighter, peering into the darkness. Someone was silently sneaking through the gate into the pathway between the two perimeter fences. Glancing back at the prison he could see that all of the lanterns were out, it was too late in the night for someone to be casually walking around the yard. He stubbed out his cigarette and quietly climbed down the stairs of the guard tower.

Stealthily, he crept after the person, crossbow raised as he watched them checking the chain links in the fence. He realized they were searching through the dark for the section of fence with a hole cut in it. They moved on after not finding it and Daryl noticed they were walking with a limp. He lowered the crossbow, knowing exactly who it was, and crossed his arms behind her as she found the red wire securing the fence.

"Goin' somewhere?" He asked, his rough voice breaking the silence of the night. She jumped with a gasp, whirling around to face him, something in the backpack on her back clanging loudly at the sudden movement. Even in only the moonlight he could see her wide blue eyes assessing him, observing everything around her and them.

"I'm leavin'." She said, her eyebrows pulling together in a frown as she looked away from him.

"And why the hell ya doin' that?" He asked.

She scoffed and turned back to the fence, beginning to unloop the wire from the links. "Listen, I'm sorry I killed your man." She said to the fence, her back to him. "I've wasted too much'a your supplies already. And time. I been nothin' but a problem for y'all since I got here. Y'all don't need that. So I'm leavin'." The wire snagged in the fence and she pulled at it, frustrated. He stepped forward and placed his hand over hers, stilling her movements. She stared at the fence determinedly and he watched her, admiring her profile.

"Ya ain't been a waste of supplies... or time." He told her. She shrugged her shoulder and pulled her hand out of his, crossing her arms.

"Y'all don't want me here." She said so quietly he almost missed it. He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her towards him. She kept her eyes downcast, avoiding his gaze so he placed his finger under her chin and made her look up at him. He noticed that she hadn't recoiled a single time he had touched her so far. Her eyes were hard as she watched him, waiting for him to say something.

"Yea, we do." He said finally. She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Oh really?" She said haughtily, "'cause your attitude earlier said somethin' different. Jus' say you don't want me here. Jus' say it." She was angry, he could see that. Her whole body radiated pent up anger and hurt.

"We want ya here." He said. She rolled her eyes again and turned back to the fence, resuming her attempts to undo the wire.

"Jus' leave me alone Daryl." She spat. He pushed her away from the fence and stood between her and it.

"I want ya here." He said quietly, unsure of where this was going to take him, he just wanted to keep her from leaving. She wouldn't make it long in her condition. But it was true, he did want her here.

She frowned at him, her arms crossed again. "Why?"

He stared at her for a moment, not answering. Instead, he reached out and held a tendril of her silky brown hair that was hanging by her chin. Her eyes watched his hand, flicking back and forth between it and his eyes.

"'M sorry 'bout earlier." He mumbled, keeping his eyes on her hair trapped between his fingers. "I thought you were a dead, I thought he was gonna kill ya and there was nothin' I coulda done to stop it." Confusion clouded her face.

"Why would you ca-"

He silenced her then, pressing his lips against hers, showing her exactly why he would care. _Fuck it,_ he thought. She stood frozen for a moment before hesitantly, her arms circled the back of his neck, pulling her body closer to his. Her lips parted and slowly, his tongue pushed into her mouth until it met hers, soft and warm and wet. He wrapped an arm around her waist, embracing her lean body against his, as their breath mingled, and he inhaled the slight floral scent of her.

They stayed like that for a few moments, exploring each other's mouths, before Amanda pulled away. She was breathing heavy and stared at him with wide, dark eyes. He scratched at the back of his head awkwardly, he'd never been any good at this part.

"I'd care." Was all he said, shifting his feet awkwardly as she stared at him. The corner of her mouth pulled up in a smirk, her lips pink and puffy from his ministrations. She turned back to the fence and for a moment he thought she was still going to leave. But he released a breath when she rewrapped the wire through the fence, securing it and turning back to him.

"All right." was all she said as she cocked her head to the side, watching him. He nodded, unsure of what to say and then began walking back to the prison, listening to her hurrying to catch up with his long strides.

Half way through the gate, Daryl froze, remembering that T-dog was also on guard duty tonight. He swallowed and glanced up at the other tower but couldn't see anything in the dark.

"I'll be right back." He said to Amanda before walking to the tower and ascending it. Once he reached the room at the top of the stairs, he pushed the door open. The man inside had a cocky smile on his face when Daryl froze at the door.

"Pretty sure that's called dibs." T laughed.


	6. Chapter 6

**Authors note: Sorry for taking so long to finish this chapter and the fact that it's a bit shorter. I honestly was trying to decide if I wanted to change the ending of the last chapter, I'm not sure how I feel about it. But I think I'm just gonna roll with it for now. Please let me know what you think!**

 **FIREPHEONIXXD: I'm glad you like it! It's nice seeing the same name on both of my fics! Thank you so much!**

 **Devil.dog35: thank you!**

 **Bruna pereira: I love Florida! It's beautiful down there, unfortunately I'm stuck up here near Philadelphia where it's cold 75% of the year. Oh don't even get me started on our political situation haha. You're writing skills are awesome don't worry! Honestly I'm still not sure how I feel about the quick romance either, I've been debating rewriting the end of the last chapter since I wrote it, but I also kind of like portraying Daryl in a different light than the rough and tough and mean Daryl you get from everyone else. But don't worry, I don't think there's going to be any romance for a little bit. If you want a slower burn definitely check out my other fic, Feral, I think you'll really like it. And Shane is a little more nuts in my version haha, the cult thing kinda came to me one day at work. Anyways, I hope you like this one! Let me know!**

 _A bellowing laugh boomed through the floor boards, jolting me awake. I winced as I raised my head. My shoulders ached horribly from hanging on the hook for this long. I looked up at my hands, seeing they were starting to turn a shade of purple from the lack of circulation. The blood running down my arms from my torn wrists had dried and was starting to flake._

 _Heavy footsteps fell across the floor above me and I glanced at the stairway leading to the basement door, it didn't open and I set my jaw. I pulled against the hook holding me in place, feeling it shift a millimeter in the cement, I pulled again, and again, and again. My breathing was labored as I heaved my body weight against it. I kept at it for hours, until the raucous laughter above died down and the house was silent._

 _Suddenly, light flooded the basement as the door was thrown open and I stopped straining against the hook. I glanced up at it quickly, seeing that I had worked it halfway out of the wall. My head whipped around towards the sound of boots walking down the stairs. A man I hadn't seen yet stopped at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes raking up and down my body. Once again, the awareness of how exposed I was caused me to shiver. The man let out a low whistle and I repressed the urge to roll my eyes. He walked forward until he was standing in front of me, reaching out a hand to fondle my exposed breast. I pulled away from him uselessly, unable to move more than a few inches back. He smirked and I sneered at him._

 _"Well, Roy wasn't lyin'." He said, snaking a hand behind my back and pulling me closer to him. I felt the hook move another centimeter and squeezed my eyes shut, hoping he wouldn't notice. He tutted at me and pulled my face up towards him. I opened my eyes, repulsion coiling in my stomach at the closeness of his face. His fingers brushed the hair out of my eyes and lowered his head towards mine._

 _His lips sealed themselves over mine and his tongue roughly pushed into my mouth. I let out a muffled grunt and tried to turn my head away but his hand locked itself around my chin, keeping me in place. I could feel my lips bruising as he explored my mouth, his beard scratching at my skin, rubbing it harshly with how hard he was kissing me. The rough stone wall dug into my back as he pushed me against it, pinning my body with his. His hands wandered, grabbing at my breasts before moving down, playing with me as I squirmed to get away from him._

 _His mouth assaulted mine as I felt him begin to venture inside of me. Fury began pulsing through me and I did the only thing I could think of. I bit down, hard._

 _"Aarghhh!" He yelled, jumping back with blood on his lips. He touched a hand to his tongue and looked down at the blood on it before looking back at me. I smiled menacingly at him, feeling his blood dribble down my chin. His hand shot out, slapping me across the face. My skin sang in pain and I fell to the side, as much as my restraints would allow me. The hook moved again but I didn't dare look up at it._

 _"You little bitch!" He spat, and suddenly the wind was knocked out of me as his fist connected with my stomach. I gasped, gulping deep, painful breaths of air as he stalked torwards me and seized my hair. My head hit the stone wall and the glint of a knife flashed in the dim light. His face twisted in fury as he held it to my throat and I stood frozen, glaring at him. The smile that spread across his face was evil as he removed the knife from my throat and placed it on my sternum, between my breasts. I cried out as he dragged it down, splitting the skin down my chest until he stopped above my belly button._

 _"Shut up." He said, clamping a hand over my mouth. I let out another muffled cry as he cut across my stomach, staining the blade of the knife red with my blood. He cut deep enough to send agonizing pain through me, but not deep enough to cause any real damage. He just wanted to watch me suffer._

 _He kept making cuts, his eyes boring into mine as he took slice after slow, agonizing slice. Tears rolled down my cheeks unwillingly as I watched him._

 _Finally he paused, the tip of his knife softly grazing the underside of my breast. He smiled at me and my eyes widened as he applied pressure to the blade, piercing the soft, tender skin. I pulled desperately at the rope and suddenly, both of us were tumbling to the ground as the hook had finally worked free. I looked around, stunned, and spotted the knife where it had fallen, a few feet away. I quickly started dragging myself towards it when a heavy weight fell on top of me._

 _"Oh no you don't, princess." He said in my ear, squeezing his hand over my mouth painfully. His hand reached down to unbutton his jeans as he lay on top of my still mostly naked body. He pulled himself from his pants and I could feel the warm hardness of his member against my thigh. The knife was still too far out of my reach and my eyes darted frantically over the floor, searching for anything to help me. I spotted the metal hook that had held me to the wall to the right of us._

 _At that moment, my stomach turned as I felt him thrust into me and I screamed into his hand, lunging for the hook. My hand closed around the cool metal as he thrust again, burying himself farther in me and I twisted in his grip, driving the jagged metal into his jugular vein. He froze and his blood poured from his throat, choking me as it sprayed into my face and mouth. I pushed him off and reached for the knife, hastily hacking away at the rope around my wrists once it was in my hand._

 _Finally, for the first time in days, I stood up, cutting away the rope around my ankles, and stood over the man. He choked, reaching out a hand towards me and I brought the blade of the knife down into his head. I lost count of how many times I raised the knife, only to bring it down again. But by the time I was done, he was unrecognizable as a human anymore._

 _I pulled my clothes back into place and glanced at the basement door, praying that none of the other men had heard our struggle. The door remained closed as I strained to listen for any sound. When there was none I cautiously began to creep up the stairs, wincing when they creaked under my weight._

 _I took one last look back at the dead man on the floor and swallowed, pushing open the door._

 _I was standing in a dark, silent hallway, a kitchen was to my left and a living room to my right. I pushed myself flush against the wall and crept toward the living room. There was a man asleep on the couch and I snuck past him, my eyes scanning through the darkness for the door. Something glinted in the moonlight and I froze, seeing that it was my knife on the coffee table._

 _I stalked forward, tiptoeing towards the table, and grabbed the knife. I sighed once it was back in my grasp, feeling as if part of me was complete again. I backed out of the room, continuing my search for the door. In the next room I found it, and my heart pounded as I unlocked it quietly, slipping out into the warm night._

 _I was halfway across the yard when a voice stopped me in my tracks._

 _"Where do ya think you're goin'?"_

 _I stared at the trees in front of me. They were so close, if I could just make the run to them..._

 _A gun cocked behind me and I closed my eyes._

 _"I said, where ya goin'?" The voice said again. It was the voice of the first man, the one that had hung me up on that wall like a piece of meat. My hand flexed around the handle of the dead man's knife as I desperately tried to think of some way out of this. Footsteps made their way closer to me, brushing over the grass behind me. I could guess where he was and I knew this was my last chance as he stopped within a few feet of me. A hand grabbed my arm and I did the only thing I could think of._

 _I lashed out with the knife, feeling it embed itself into something and ran. The man let out a pain filled yell as my legs pushed me toward the trees. I had just reached the tree line when a gunshot rang out and pain ripped through my abdomen, sending me tumbling to the ground._

 _Gasping, I pushed myself up and limped farther into the trees, knowing I didn't have long before they followed me._

"Wake up! Wake up!"

I sprang out of the bed, striking out at whoever had been beside it and pushed my back into the corner, my knife held in front of me defensively. My chest heaved as I watched Daryl rub his cheek where I had hit him. His eyes stayed on me like a magnet but he didn't take a step closer. I dropped my knife to my side and leaned back against the cold wall, my chest heaving as my heart pounded wildly.

"Shit." I muttered, wiping the sweat from my brow. "Daryl, I-" he shook his head, silencing me.

"What were ya dreamin' 'bout?" He asked. I bit my lip, thinking about my dream.

"How I escaped." I said quietly, sliding down the wall until my butt hit the floor. I put my head in my hands, and rubbed my eyes, trying to will away the images of Roy's face, and the man I had killed, and the feeling of their hands all over me, the feeling of that man inside of me. Daryl's hand gently touched my shoulder and I flinched away from him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can't stop thinkin' about them. And-"

"Stop apologizin'." He said gruffly, sitting down next to me against the wall. We sat like that for a while, silently, until I dozed off again, my head leaning against his shoulder. It was a merciful dreamless sleep and I didn't wake again until dim sunlight was shining through the window into my cell.

I sat up, realizing I was on my bed, and looked around the cell, finding it empty. I ran a hand down my face and sat up, listening to the sound of the others moving around in the common area. I got up and made my way towards them, my face turning red as everyone's eyes turned to me. I sought out Rick where he stood by the door and walked toward him, Trying to ignore the gazes I could feel on me. I stopped before the man and swallowed.

"Rick, I'm so-"

"I'm sorry." He said, cutting me off. I stared at him, taken aback. "We brought you here -to be safe- and you've almost died twice." I stared at him, at a loss for words. The look he gave me was earnest, full of remorse. He meant it. I nodded at him, not knowing what to say and he put a hand on my shoulder. I tried not to flinch, but failed, and he quickly withdrew it. He walked away and I turned toward the rest of their group.

"I'll help you with those, Carol." I said, taking some of the plates she was juggling out of her hands. She smiled kindly at me and I returned it with one of my own.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"And then we got run off of the farm by a herd of walkers." T was saying as I helped him carry the corpse of a walker to the smoldering pile of burning bodies at the side of the prison.

"Y'all were on the road all winter?" I asked, surprised they hadn't lost more people over the months. Sure, Georgia winters were mild compared to anything up north, but without consistent shelter or food, it must have been rough.

"We made due." Carol said next to me, where she walked beside us carrying an armful of debris. "Daryl fed us for most of the winter, whatever he could hunt. And we had the cars to stay in when we couldn't find a place to stay." I bit my lip thinking about the hunter who was out beyond the fence at the moment, hunting.

That kiss the other night had surprised me. Every cell in my body had been telling me to run, but something made me stay, feeling his rough hands encircle my waist. The caring touch of another human so desperately needed after knowing nothing but pain at the hands of others. We hadn't spoken about it since and he hadn't made any further advances, for which I was glad. I didn't know how much I could handle if he tried to kiss me again. He had caught me off guard, in a moment of weakness. I was still chastising myself for letting that wall down. I knew what men in this world were capable of and willing to do, and I still didn't know these people.

Suddenly, an alarm sounded, blaring from the speakers and echoing across the prison yard. I dropped the arms of the dead walker and turned wildly to Carol.

"What is that?!" T and I yelled in unison. Carol shook her head as she covered her ears against the deafening noise. I glanced at T-dog and we all began running toward the prison.


End file.
